The fields of organizational change and Neuroscience have much in common:
- They are both relatively “young”
- They both have significant multi-disciplinary impact
- They are both the focus of much current attention in research and practice
The fields also have a fundamental difference in their unit of analysis: the individual versus the collective (organization).
What, if any, are the connections between these fields?
This panel explores the connection between organizational change and neuroscience by asking these questions:
- What is the state of organizational change? What are the strengths and weaknesses in research and practice?
- Can Neuroscience add to our understanding of organizational change? If so, how?
- What is the state of Neuroscience research focused specifically on Change?
- What types of Neuroscience research are needed to further increase our understanding of Change?
- What, if any, are the limitations in conducting Neuroscience research focused on Change?
Panelists include:
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Maria Darby
President of the Association of Change Management Professionals
A Senior Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton, Maria Darby leads the firm’s strategic communications business, including capabilities in organizational communications, stakeholder relations, change communications, public and media relations, social media and risk communications. In addition, Ms. Darby serves as a co-lead of the Firm’s Change Management Board where her responsibilities include leading training and professional development for the firm’s change management practitioners, and conducting outreach and engagement across industry on promoting and advancing the practice of change management.
Maria is the Vice President of the Association of Change Management Practitioners (ACMP), where she serves in a leadership role to evolve this professional association focused on advancing the practice of change management worldwide. |
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Now consulting for multinational corporations on organizational change, Cecile Demailly is a former blue chip executive (IBM, AT&T, GE). She is a board member in charge of innovation for the Change Leaders, a structured international community of change practitioners associated with Oxford University and HEC Management School, Paris. She is also a fellow of the Institute of Neurocognitivism which operates in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Morocco.
In her regular practice, she focuses on disruptive change and new trends – such as Enterprise 2.0 (collaboration, collective intelligence), corporate social responsibility, diversity, disruptive technology innovation impacts and adoption. She uses neurosciences to diagnose the change readiness of an organization on the systemic level, map change resistance and address it in a way that helps both the corporation and its stakeholders. |
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Walter McFarland
Board Chair elect of the American Society of Training and Development
The center piece of Walter’s career has been as a consultant focused on large-scale improvements in organizational performance by focusing on the human factor.
Walter has led consulting engagements focused on: transforming the Internal Revenue Service; creating the Department of Homeland Security; and realigning the US Intelligence Community—to name a few. Walter’s work in organizational change has earned: the Hammer Award, the IRS Commissioner’s Award, the Director of National Intelligence Innovation Award, and recognition from the Smithsonian Institution.
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Amy Lui Abel Ph.D.
Director, Human Capital Research The Conference Boar
Amy Lui Abel is director of human capital research at The
Conference Board and leads research efforts focusing on human capital
analytics, labor markets, workforce readiness, strategic workforce
planning, talent management, diversity and inclusion, human resources,
and employee engagement.
Amy was previously a Director of Leadership Development with
Morgan Stanley supporting high potential senior leaders globally. She
has also held roles at Accenture, Adobe Systems, JPMorganChase, and led a
private consulting organization performance practice.
Amy has taught at New York University Stern School of Business
in management and organization studies and served on the Board of
Directors for the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD)
New York Chapter. She was named ‘Outstanding Alumni of the Year’ from
New York University Business Education Program. Based on her doctoral
research study about corporate universities and organizational learning,
Amy was recognized for ‘Best Workplace Learning Dissertation’ from the
American Educational Research Association Workplace Learning Group.
Amy was recently published in The Handbook of Workplace
Learning by Sage Publications, Human Resources Development Quarterly
Journal, and ASTD’s T+D (Training and Development) Magazine. She holds
several degrees, including a PhD, from New York University in
information technology, business education, and organizational learning
and performance. |
 
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